God came into the world not in power but as a baby born in poverty. When God set his people apart, he did not find a powerful ruler but a man who had no son. When God looked for a new king, he picked the one that was left in the field. And when God was asked how "How will they know I came from you?" He said, "Bring your staff, Moses."

The head Pharisee yelled at the guard for not capturing Jesus, “Has the whole world gone after Him?" Frustrated, this head Pharisee desperately needed a win, but not just a win; winning was his entire goal, and that goal blinded him to the heart of God in the world. We are no different. We need a reset.

We stepped out of the car all awestruck at what we were looking at. Even though all were already looking, we still encouraged each other to look and see. This is how John tells his story of hope for the creation.

We can sure be nasty when our expectations are not met. But would you throw someone off a cliff if they failed to meet your famous expectations? Let's see how God creates a new creation outside of our famous expectations.

It seems like chaos as Jesus is arrested. It’s like He’s a feather in the wind, being blown around into beatings and shame with a crown of thorns placed on his head. But what if the wind is not chaos but more like a cloud in the wilderness?

Just like our favorite gifts we have received at Christmas, God's gift of the Messiah is a better gift than Peter could ever have imagined.

Jesus breathes that same spirit that hovered over the waters of creation, that same breath that animated and bright life into Adam's nostrils, that same wind that hit the church and put all over us that same mission of bringing life and beauty to everywhere we go.